Next winter when residents young and old take a skate around the town’s newly fixed up outdoor rink, they will have the Westlock Interact Club to thank.
For the last two years the club — the youth division of the Rotary Club — has fundraised a little more than $12,000 to fix up the community outdoor rink at Westlock Elementary School.
Without question the rink is in pretty rough shape and can use the work.
Not only has the group fundraised for the project, but they will be making the repairs this summer. Quite an act from a group of high-school kids looking to do something positive in the community.
“They certainly are to be commended, it’s nice to see that initiative from our youth,” said mayor Ralph Leriger at council’s May 11 meeting.
We agree, they do deserve to be commended for taking time out to perform an unselfish act for the benefit of the community.
Too often youth are stereotyped as being delinquents and troublemakers with no respect for authority. Yes, there are some who fall into that category, but there are far more good kids out there if you just open your eyes and look.
Perhaps it is a generational thing to blame the day’s youth for all of society’s problems …the old “back in my day” syndrome.
Teens need to be thanked and celebrated for their hard work and dedication to the community, as in the case of the Interact Club, which also has participated in international missions.
Don’t paint all youth as vandals and thieves that are up to no good, or lazy and technology-addicted.
These teenagers in the Interact Club will gain a valuable life lesson and hopefully become life-long volunteers who pass that same spirit down to the next generation.
Westlock should be thankful it has a group like the Interact Club that wants to improve the community for the simple satisfaction of giving back to the town in which they live.
